Libya floods: UN agency says at least 30,000 left homeless in Derna; death toll crosses 5,000

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), an agency of the United Nations (UN), said on Wednesday (September 13) that at least 30,000 people have been left homeless due to the catastrophic floods in Libya's Derna. "At least 30,000 individuals displaced in Derna," the IOM said, adding that thousands more had been left homeless in nearby towns.

The floods were caused by a hugeMediterranean storm that burst dams, swept away buildings and wiped out as much as a quarter of the city. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, officials in eastern Libya said the death toll so far stands at more than 5,000, and fatalities are expected to climb. A report by The Guardian, meanwhile, said that the number of fatalities may climb to 20,000.

Around 10,000 people are estimated to be missing, and many are believed to have been swept out to sea. Derna was home to around 100,000 people, and many of its multi-storey buildings on the banks of the riverbed collapsed, with people, their homes and cars vanishing in the raging waters.

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Earlier, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that emergency teams had been mobilised to help on the ground. Amidrising global concern, several countries, including Qatar and Turkey, rushed aid to Libya.

Citing authorities, the news agency AFP reported on Wednesday that rescue teams from Turkey arrived in eastern Libya. France, meanwhile, said it was sending a field hospital and around 50 military and civilian personnel able to treat 500 people a day.

(With inputs from agencies)

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